


Everything Glitters

by BucketLover



Series: One Piece Bingo [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Nakamaship, Nami-centric (One Piece), One Piece Bingo, POV Nami (One Piece), Prompt: Everything Glitters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 03:12:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18562732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BucketLover/pseuds/BucketLover
Summary: Nami never thought “freedom” would be a word she could associate with herself. If Luffy defeats Arlong… No,whenLuffy defeats Arlong, could she truly be free then? For once, she let herself think that maybe, yes. She would finally be free.





	Everything Glitters

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to participate in this One Piece Bingo thing and I'm pretty excited for it! Nami has been very dear to me lately and I really wanted to write something to appreciate her as she deserves! I hope you enjoy this!

Treasure glitters. Gems and gold and pearls, expensive items from rich pirates and noblemen. The coin in Nami’s hand glittered as well as the sunlight fell just right making the gold shine brightly. It was one of her favourite kind of glitter, she thought as she threw it in the sack with the rest of the gold she managed to steal today. The treasure in the bag valued about five hundred thousand bellies which wasn’t too bad for one day, but she was still behind. She wanted to make about fifteen million by the end of the year, but it appears she would need to work a bit harder for that. 

“You foul woman!” a voice shouted behind her, getting her attention. She turned to look at the tied up man that was glaring at her from the floor. “You tricked me!” 

Nami sighed and shook her head slightly. “Well, I’m a thief, I told you that when we first met. You didn’t believe me, it’s your fault really.”

“You made me do your work for you! You made me kill those pirates and steal their treasure,” he screamed at her. “And now you’re just taking it and leaving?”

“Otto-san, you’re well off here. You got a nice place,” Nami said gesturing around her. “You’re decent with a sword and you can get money from pirates anytime. Me? I’m just some poor, defenceless woman. I can benefit from this money way more than you.” 

“Like hell! I saw you with that bo staff. You can hold your own with that thing, but you still play dirty! What right do you have to steal my gold?” 

Nami scoffed. “Your gold? Don’t make me laugh. If it wasn’t for my plan you wouldn’t have defeated the pirates on your own. And didn’t I tell you? I’m a thief so stop whining already.”

Otto glared at her as Nami approached him and crouched to his eye-level. “It was a pleasure doing business with you. May we meet again.” 

He opened his mouth to reply, but Nami didn’t pay him any attention anymore. She reached for the gold sack and swung it over her shoulder waving her hand in his general direction. 

“Oi! Are you going to just leave me here?” Otto yelled, his voice already hoarse from all the screaming. “Go to hell, woman!” 

The gold on her back suddenly felt a lot heavier as Nami’s gaze hardened. She paused to look him in the eye, not failing to notice the way his whole body froze under her glare. “I’m already there, Otto-san.” 

Nami moved on, feeling Otto’s gaze on her back, a lot less contempt in it and more fear. Whatever, Nami thought, there was no point in dwelling on a stranger’s words or her reply to them, no matter how true they might be. 

~|'|~

The ocean glitters. The sun hitting the waves reflects light in such a way that leaves Nami out of breath sometimes. She loves the ocean and the water and it is the only place she feels free. Away from Arlong, away from his burden. The wind in her hair, the waves hitting the side of whatever ship she stole last, the sun warming her skin and the glittering of the water, it’s all like a dream. But like any dream it does not last. 

In the end, she always needs to go back to shore, go back to Arlong, go back to her family that she just knows she will disappoint some day. 

That’s what she was thinking as she found herself back on the Conomi Islands, ready to push past the doors of Arlong Park. She wondered if she would ever go back home with warmth in her chest, not dread in her stomach, but such a thing would not be possible until Arlong would be gone. Who knows when, or if, will that happen? Nami didn’t want to think about it all that much, in fear of gaining hope that somehow, Arlong will leave or be forced to leave for one reason or another and hope… well, hope is always meant to be crushed. Nami didn’t know if she could take that. 

“Nami!” Arlong exclaimed upon seeing her. “Welcome back! Been gone for a few weeks now. Bringing back some money?” His laugh was cold and it always made shivers run down Nami’s spine. As always, she hid it all away behind a mask of indifference. 

“More or less,” Nami replied, not in the mood for small talk. “Genzo-san told me you have work for me.” 

“Oh, yes. I left the requests in your room. I want it done by tomorrow.” His tone was dismissive so Nami, not one to spend more time than necessary in the fishman’s presence left in a hurry and entered the building, climbing the stairs all the way to her map room. 

She felt her heart speed up before she even stepped into the room. She could not _breathe_ in here and she hated this place more than she hated anything else. No, she thought as she stepped inside the room, she hated Arlong more. She stormed towards the window to open it and let some fresh air in, but that was not enough. It seemed like she had to bear again this suffocating feeling that she always got while in here, surrounded by maps she herself made. With a deep sigh she sat down at her desk and looked over Arlong’s requirements. 

Picking up the pen between her fingers, she watched as one last ray of sunshine from the setting sun, touched the tip of the golden nib. She gazed out the window, the vastness of the sea stretching out over the horizon as the sun fell asleep beneath the waves. The waves were golden, shimmering with the last light and Nami wished she could be out there, on the ocean away from everything and above all else, free. 

~|'|~

The blade glitters. Even covered in blood and dirt and tears, the blade of the knife still reflects the light of the sun. The tears have long since stopped, but the pain was still there. Though not the ache in her shoulder which was throbbing as blood kept falling down her arm. That pain was only on the back of her mind, since she couldn’t really bring herself to care about such a trivial kind of pain. 

The pain in her chest, the pain in her heart and the phantom pains of every scar on her body was what made her want to crawl somewhere and sleep until it was all over. Scars she got by working for Arlong. Scars that a normal girl her age should most definitely not have, but Nami did not get to call herself a “normal girl” in a very long time. She brought a hand up to touch the rim of the hat on her head, suddenly feeling as if maybe the pain she was feeling, the pain she has been feeling for so long now, could finally go away. 

The straw hat was weighing heavily on her head. It was as if it was bringing down her whole body, pushing it into the ground. Nami knew that the straw and ribbon were light. The only time she touched this hat, when she was carefully mending it for the owner she even discerned how light it was, but at this moment it was so heavy, Nami worried she might collapse under it. 

Luffy told her he would help her. Luffy had no idea what was happening to her, what her life has even been like up to this point, yet he still decided to help her. He decided to take on an enemy far out of his league only because he considered Nami a friend. 

Friend. Such a beautiful word, Nami thought. She never really had friends, other than her sister. It would be nice if she could start now. The hat was meant as a comfort to her, she realized the moment Luffy placed it on her head. Nami would have to give it back to him, meaning that he would most definitely defeat Arlong and set her free. 

She never thought “freedom” would be a word she could associate with herself. If Luffy defeats Arlong… No, _when_ Luffy defeats Arlong, could she truly be free then? For once, she let herself think that maybe, yes. She would finally be free. 

She stood, still holding her unwounded hand on the rim of the straw hat, she walked towards her home to patch up her shoulder. She wouldn’t be of any use to anyone just staying here and wallowing in self pity.

Later, when Arlong Park was destroyed along with her cartography room, the one place in the world she hated most and Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs that Nami was his friend, for the first time, Nami felt the burden lift from her shoulders and finally she felt like she could breathe again. 

She walked up to Luffy and gently placed his hat on his head. “Thank you,” she whispered so low that the wind might have carried it away. But Luffy heard anyway, and he laughed, heartily and genuinely as he always did. Nami couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips and for once, she knew that the future would hold happiness for her. 

~|'|~

The log pose glitters. Nami opened her eyes to a bright light. She looked down at the log pose on her wrist as the light of the morning reflected, making her eyes hurt. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling the results of falling asleep at her desk as she groaned wishing the ache in her back to go away already. She felt a blanket slip from her shoulders and bent down to pick it up. She smiled softly, realizing that it must have been Robin who placed it on her back after she had fallen asleep. Once in a while, if she happened to fall asleep while drawing her maps, the archaeologist, without fail would check up on her and make sure she never caught a cold.

The navigator turned her head to look at the small clock they kept on the library wall. She jumped to her feet when she realized it was well past the time she should have woken up. She ran down the stairs, expecting everyone to still be asleep and the ship to be stationary, but the moment she stepped on deck, the tasty smell of Sanji’s cooking and the sweet sound of Brook’s violin made her stop in her tracks. Robin was sitting innocently on a chair besides Franky as if she didn’t take over navigation for a morning so as to let Nami sleep in. 

“Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! Breakfast is ready!” Sanji shouted, walking out of the kitchen and bringing Nami out of her thoughts. “The rest of you, bastards, can come too.”

“Woohoo!!! Food!” Luffy happily yelled, as if he didn’t eat his pre-breakfast snack a few minutes ago.

Everyone else took a break from whatever they were doing and went inside to eat. Nami was the last enter and so she got a good look of what the Straw Hats were like during meal times. Luffy eating from everyone’s plate, while the others did their best to protect their food. Usopp and Zoro were yelling at Luffy to stop while Robin chuckled in her fist at their antics . Chopper was laughing loudly at some dumb joke Franky probably said while Sanji was kicking Brook in the head for stuffing his face with anything he could put his hands on (though he had no face). Nami paused in the doorway for just a few moments to watch it all. It was a mess, it was disgusting, but she couldn’t help loving every second of it. 

Luffy seemed to notice Nami pausing and still with a mouth full he said. “Huh, Nami are you ok? Come eat!” 

This got the attention of the rest of them who turned to look at her. She smiled at them all before she walked up and took her seat. “I’m fine, never been better.” 

The rest of the Straw Hats shrugged before getting back to their meals. It turns out Luffy used the diversion to steal a piece of food from everyone in the galley which made Usopp, Zoro and Sanji to lash out at their Captain, who only laughed at their reactions. Nami felt laugh bubbling up inside her as well, because moments like these are what made everything she has gone through worth it. Hell, she would even go through all of it all over again if it meant that at the end she would get to see her friends happy and their eyes glittering.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think! :D If you want your own bingo card go [here](https://onepiecepiratebingo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [My tumblr :D](https://the-bucket-lover.tumblr.com/)


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